Coalition of five organizations funds work improving food security for
vulnerable coffee-growers

January 30, 2013 07:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In coffee growing areas of Central America, seasonal hunger is a common
problem. While coffee farming provides families with income for several
months of the year, the harvest cycle followed by rainy season leaves
some families without food or income for five to seven months. These are
known as the “thin months.”

“Working with coffee producing families in Indonesia and Guatemala, we
have seen the tremendous day-to-day challenges of the ‘thin months,’”
said Kathy Fry, regional program director for Mercy Corps. “We have a
long-standing relationship with Aldea Global; they are an important
local partner, and well-positioned to address the issue of hunger and
poverty in the heart of the coffee value chain. Together, we will strive
to ensure these coffee farmers have the knowledge, tools and resources
to feed their families year-round.”

The three-year Empowering Food Secure Communities program will work with
150 women and their families to help them improve farming and business
techniques, develop additional sources of income through home gardens
and diversified crop production as well as engage more effectively with
local government to provide assistance to the hungriest families.

Increased crop yields and diversified economic opportunities will
support household consumption during the “thin months,” and will allow
farmers to earn more income by selling surplus produce in the local
market. Farmers will participate in educational sessions on financial
literacy, pest management, crop rotation, micro-irrigation, water and
soil conservation, as well as proper storage and handling techniques.
The Empowering Food Secure Communities program will also strive to
achieve gender equality in the traditionally male-dominated culture by
promoting gender education, improving women’s access to credit and
identifying business opportunities at local markets.

“Studies show that providing educational and economic opportunities for
women will lead to improved, sustained living standards,” explained
Warren Armstrong, General Manager of Asociación “Aldea Global” Jinotega.
“Aldea Global is looking for a transformative approach in the role of
women – with the support of her family – to contribute significantly
towards their family’s economic resiliency during these ‘thin months.’”

The work in Jinotega also has an important disaster risk reduction
component. According to the 2011 Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) report,
Nicaragua is the fourth most vulnerable country in the world to
weather-related disasters like droughts and hurricanes. These disasters
can cause massive crop destruction. To adapt to and mitigate this severe
weather, Mercy Corps and Aldea Global will teach farmers ways to better
prepare for natural disasters. “Climate-smart” gardens will allow women
to conserve water for crop irrigation during dry periods, as well as
protect crops from pest infestation and bad weather.

As the specialty coffee community discovered the extent to which coffee
farmers were struggling to feed their children, it became clear that the
problem was too big for one company to tackle alone. According to Shauna
Alexander Mohr, coordinator of the Coffeelands Food Security Coalition,
“these five companies have forged an unprecedented effort to work
together - with one another, with nonprofit partners, and with coffee
farmers themselves - to make a difference. New kinds of partnerships are
necessary for solutions to emerge in our common fight against seasonal
hunger.”

The Empowering Food Secure Communities is the inaugural project of the
Coffeelands Food Security Coalition. The alliance is committed to
bringing awareness to the issue of seasonal hunger and plans additional
projects in other coffee producing countries and communities. For more
information, visit: www.mercycorps.org/Coffeelands.

About Asociación Aldea Global JinotegaAsociación “Aldea
Global” Jinotega was formed by 22 small-scale farmers in 1992. Together
small-scale farmers, leaders in services and profitable agricultural
businesses, are working in harmony with God, the environment, social
responsibility and gender equity to be instrumental in the progress of
Nicaragua’s rural families. Today, Aldea Global has grown to 1,429
active members.

About Coffeelands Food Security CoalitionThe Coffeelands
Food Security Coalition is a new, collaborative project of leading
companies in the specialty coffee industry that aims to develop, enable
and disseminate solutions to seasonal hunger in coffee producing
countries.

About Mercy CorpsMercy Corps helps people turn the
crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. Driven by
local needs, our programs provide communities in the world’s toughest
places with the tools and support they need to transform their own
lives. Our worldwide team in 41 countries is improving the lives of 19
million people. For more information, see mercycorps.org.